Two girlfriends — one British and one Southern — get together once a week or so in Laguna Beach and the rest of Orange County to show each other their discoveries and to find some fun new ones together as well.

Friday, February 3, 2012

I Hate to Do It ... But I Need to Do It!

Who likes to go and sort out computer issues? Certainly not
me, but The Rose (being the persistent Rose she is) decided that we needed to
take a trip to the Apple Store at The
Shops at Mission Viejo mall (www.apple.com/retail/missionviejo/)
to see if we could learn how to create a logo for our new blog. The Peach
figured, “How bad could it be? After all the store is in a mall, so there might
be some shopping involved before it’s all said and done.”

With MacBook in tow, we made our way to the store to find an
expert to help us with our endeavor. Since it was a weekday and not very
crowded, we were able to check in right away and then were led to a table in
the back to await one of the store’s experts.

A salesman named Mike (the store has salespeople,
technicians and installers to assist with the varying levels of consumer
issues) showed up a couple of minutes later and asked how he could help. We
told him how we had just started a blog together and really wanted a catchy
logo for it, but that neither of us had any idea how to create said logo (or
how to use a graphic program, for that matter).

One quick glance at my computer was all it took to ascertain
that I didn’t have the proper software (i.e., Photoshop, etc.) to create the
type of logo we wanted (something along the lines of an English rose and a
Georgia peach, floating inside a map of Orange County). In fact, my operating
system is two operating systems behind (who knew?).

Mike (very patient and kind with the computer neophytes)
informed me that I needed to at least purchase the next operating system update
(Snow Leopard) and then I would have the App Store on my computer and be able to
download a design app that we could use to create our logo. I ordered the
update (for $29.99) — which only puts me one system further into optimal
operate mode (evidently, there is something else out there called a Lion) — and
I am awaiting its arrival. Once in hand, I can either install Snow Leopard
myself (after I have backed up everything on my computer, Mike stresses) or
return to the Apple Store and have an installer there do it all for me (um,
guess which one I’ll be doing? … Better yet, anyone out there want to design a
logo for 50 bucks?!).

Since we had Mike at our beck and call, we decided to pick
his brain a bit more. He told us about Tumblr (another blogging platform that
can be very easily personalized) and also walked me through a slight issue I
was having with my iPhone. Talk about a one-stop shopping experience… and, might I
add, an experience that was altogether more pleasant than we (at least, I)
figured it would be at the outset. Stay tuned for Chapter 2 of the computer
adventures of The Rose and The Peach!

Now, let’s get to the fun part…shopping! We decided to check
out a few of our favorite stores to see just what kind of trouble we could get
ourselves into. The Rose (who says she has a difficult time finding shirts and
tops that will cover her navel because of her long torso) makes a beeline to Talbots (www.talbots.com), where she says she can easily
find longer, classic shirts that cover her entire body. She is quite fond of Chico’s
(www.chicos.com), as well. Meanwhile, The
Peach finds just what she likes — and needs, mind you — at Banana
Republic (www.bananarepublic.com), Gap(www.gap.com)and Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com).

That being said, The Rose found two “work” shirts for about
$16 a piece (regularly $80 each), while The Peach picked out a pair of
stretchy, low-cut black slacks and black, high-heeled sandals to match at
Banana Republic. The sandals were not on sale, unfortunately. The Rose,
however, did try and convince me that they look amazing and that I will wear
them until they “plead for mercy.”

Having satisfied our clothes-shopping fix, we were ready to
partake in another of our favorite things — eating!

We headed to Café
Nordstrom (shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-the-shops-at-mission-viejo),
which offers a full menu including pizza, soup, paninis, pasta
and more. The Peach grabbed a tray and headed to the salad section, where a
young man behind the counter hand-tossed her Artichoke & Chicken Salad
(complete with goat cheese and kalamata olives in a red wine vinaigrette, yum).
The Rose chose the Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad and a blueberry tart (which I
think she preferred to the salad, which was entirely too soaked with honey
dijon dressing for her taste). The only snafu with our dining experience was a
slight problem with a lack of inattention on behalf of the servers. But once
The Rose pointed out the situation (in her usual delicate manner), we were good
to go.

While dining, we entered into a conversation about how we
had such diverse shopping (and clothing) styles and determined that The Rose
goes for quality, while The Peach is all about quantity. The Rose says she
believes you should have a good cut of clothes to suit your body type, in a
classic style that’s not going to go out of fashion. “A black dress, a suit, a
pair of jeans that don’t give you a saggy ‘arse’ and a pair of good shoes that
fit like a glove are essential to every woman’s wardrobe,” she says, “just like
shampoo, a hairbrush and moisturizer.” The Peach, on the other hand, believes
that the more the merrier and that she hasn’t done her job if she’s not getting
25 things for $50. (It gives me a sense of value, The Rose says.) I say I love
trendy items and want as many as I can get at one time, and I also am typically
very cost-conscious (after all, I am a freelance journalist, nuff said).

After lunch, we hit the one place we both can
agree on — Macy’s (The Rose loves the
store’s home goods, including bedding and bath items, while The Peach is
addicted to the INC and Studio M women’s clothing lines). While waiting on The
Rose to pick out some new towels, I perused the kitchen shop and will thus
leave you with this thought: In what world does this coffee maker’s itty-bitty
carafe constitute four cups?

About Me

I hope you enjoy this blog about two girlfriends — one British and one Southern — who get together once a week or so in Laguna Beach and the rest of Orange County to show each other their discoveries and to find some fun new ones together as well. Please don’t hesitate to suggest new spots for us to try!